Montgomery board honors FDMT founders, approves 2013 officers

Montgomery Township's board of supervisors honored founding members of the Fire Department of Montgomery Township, and met the FDMT's slate of officers for 2013, Monday night. Photo courtesy of Montgomery Township.

Ten summers ago the Fire Department of Montgomery Township was established to protect and serve residents during their worst days. On Monday night, those founding members were honored by the township’s board of supervisors, which also approved FDMT’s slate of officers and schedule of fundraisers for 2013.

“It took a lot of courage for these men and women to step up and have the vision to do what they did, and the township has really benefited from the courage these men and women showed,” said supervisors Chairman Joe Walsh.

16 FDMT founding members were recognized by the board with service awards for maintaining active memberships in the company since that founding: Joan Anton, Robert and Stacey Bailey, Michael Bean, John Cataldi, Frank DiCicco, Bernd Heinze, Chris Mann, John, Maryanne and Paul Mogensen, Scott Redilla, Michael Shearer, Edmond Skrzat, Dave Vasconez and Dave Wolfe.

“I’m sure it was a little dicey in the beginning, but they persevered and have built a top-notch department that has really served the township well,” said Walsh.

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“Given them plaques was kind of the last we could do for them, just to recognize what they’ve done for the last ten years,” he said.

Several of those founding members can be found in the FDMT’s 2013 slate of administrative, operational and relief association officers: Skrzat will serve as Assistant Chief, Anton as the company’s health and safety officer, and Robert and Stacey Bailey as Fire Police Captain and financial secretary respectively. Among the other 2013 officers include William Wiegman as Fire Chief, Joseph Simes as Deputy Chief, William Goltz and Joseph Bennett as battalion Chiefs, Alex Olimpo as administrative President, Gene School as Vice President, and Michael Shinton as Relief Association President with Vinay Setty as the association’s VP - a full list of officers is available in the meeting materials packet for Monday night’s board meeting.

FDMT officials also presented the board with its proposed schedule of fundraisers to be held throughout the year to benefit the company: car washes will be held in spring and summer, FDMT will have a booth at the Mary, Mother of the Redeemer school’s annual carnival in June, a car show is tentatively scheduled for August, a coin toss fundraiser could come in December, and a grocery bagging contest is still being developed.

Montgomery’s board also voted Monday night to approve a 2012 hazard mitigation plan promulgated by Montgomery County and outlining ways for county and local government to work together in emergencies; the full plan is available through the county’s website www.Planning.MontcoPA.org.

And in response to a declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that Montgomery County qualifies for public funds to help with its response to Hurricane Sandy last year, the board voted to approve township Emergency Management Coordinator Rick Lesniak as the township’s pointman in requesting those funds - as Walsh put it, “master of disaster is the new title we gave him Monday night.”

The township will seek between $6,000 and $10,000 to cover expenses incurred by the township’s fire, public works, and administrative services during Sandy, according to Lesniak.

Follow staff writer Dan Sokil on Twitter @DanSokil.

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